Blaine County, Idaho adopts NOAH+ Standard into their County Ordinance for Tiny Homes on Wheels!

The Villages, FL – Do we need Standards for Tiny Houses on Wheels? Yes, absolutely! Blaine County, Idaho tells us that we are on the right track here at NOAH Certified Inc. It is also proof that standards for tiny houses are lacking in the current codes and needs to be addressed to make the zoning and building officials job easier when accepting tiny houses into their jurisdiction.

NOAH has always taken the higher ground when it comes to inspection and certification of tiny houses. We inspect each and every tiny home at various stages of construction and we digitally store those inspections into a file. So if we want to or need to, we can go back to inspections we did starting in 2016 and actually look at that file and see how the tiny house was built.

We also felt like the ANSI standard for Park models ANSI-119.5, was insufficient for a home. We have “plussed” this Standard from day one with energy and structural guidelines.

Now a municipality in Blaine County, Idaho has written into Law the NOAH inspection process and they have adopted the NOAH ANSI+ Standards into their county ordinance for Tiny Homes on Wheels.

They define Tiny Homes on Wheels as a recreational vehicle between 150 and 400 square ft.² with all the living spaces; (cooking, sleeping etc.) needed to live. In this definition they include American National Standards Institute 119.5 standards, NOAH ANSI+ Standards and some additional requirements for their climate.

In the restrictions section, it states that the Tiny Home on wheels must be certified to a third-party. (Quote the section C. 2. In the ordinance.)

2. The proposed moveable Tiny Home on Wheels has been certified by a third-party inspection agency i.e.: NOAH or other agency approved by Administrator as meeting ANSI A119.5 Standards, NOAH ANSI+ Standards and standards in Section D.

The standards these tiny homes on wheels must meet are in section D of the ordinance. Stating that all tiny homes on wheels must meet NOAH ANSI+ Standard. In addition they must be inspected in the five stages. This means that you don’t just inspect a manufacturer and let them build on their own. Each home needs to be inspected and certified as meeting the ANSI+ Standard. The ordinance goes on to say that the certification must be completed and approved by NOAH and then submitted to Blaine County.

D. ANSI + Standards: All Tiny Homes on Wheels All Tiny Homes on Wheels are required to meet the ANSI 119.5 Standards , NOAH ANSI+ Standards and the following standards listed specific to Blaine County’s climatic conditions. 1. Inspection Stages 1-5 of the most recent NOAH ANSI+ Standard Inspection Guides shall be certified complete and approved by NOAH and submitted to the Blaine County Zoning Department.

Because of the unique climate requirements, Blaine County has added some additional energy and snow load requirements to the ANSI+ standard. Any homes that will be going into Blaine County must have the increased insulation, U value, snow loads and skirting. (attach a copy of 2.)

2. Additional requirements based on Blaine County’s climatic conditions:

a. Minimum insulation R-values: Walls R-19, floors R-20 and roof /ceiling R-28. Vapor retarders shall be in accordance with the International Residential Code.

b. Windows and doors: Shall have a maximum .30 U-factor.

c. Roof Snow Load: Shall meet the site specific requirements set forth in 7-1-3,(01), (M)

d. Skirting – Insulated skirting is required

Now that the NOAH ANSI+ Standard and the NOAH Inspection Process is written into Law, where do we go from here?

About NOAH RDI: Founded in 2015, NOAH RDI was the first to offer Tiny House Certification through inspection of homes to nationally recognized standards from multiple industries. NOAH RDI provides builders to demonstrate compliance with safety, structural and energy efficiency standards for consumer confidence in their projects. For more information, please visit www.NoahCertified.org.